Vertical vent fitting



Feb. 19, 1957 G. w. LINDSAY 2,781,941

VERTICAL VENT FITTING Fil ed March 51, 1955 INVENTOR GRIFFITH W- LINDSAY ATTORNEY Unimd States PatentC 2,781,941 VERTICAL VENT FITTING Gl'iififll w. Lindsay, Dayton, Ohio, 'as signor to Buckeye Iron & Brass;Works,.Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 31, 1955, Serial No. 498,259 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-44) the vent usually takes the form of a length of pipe extending upwardly from the tank to a substantial distance above the ground where it is provided with a gooseneck opening downwardly so that fumes, vapors and air will be vented from the tank while the gooseneck prevents moisture from getting into the tank due to rain fell.

There are certain objections to the type of vent arrangement referred to above with the principal objection being that the vapors from the vent fitting are directed downwardly, and since vapors are generally heavier than air, there is a tendency for them to move downwardly in a stream toward the ground thereby creating an explosion hazard, particularly when the atmosphere is quite still. Principally, because of the objection referred to above this type of vent fitting is no longer acceptable in certain localities and, it is accordingly a primary objective of the present invention to provide an arrangement for venting an underground gasoline tank or the like which avoids the drawbacks referred to above and which is accordingly acceptable in all locations.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a vent fitting which eliminates the tendency for the vented vapors to collect and form an explosion hazard and which is also efiective for preventing moisture from getting into the underground tank through the vent pipe.

A still further object is the provision of a vent fitting adapted for being placed on the upper end of the vent pipe in place of the customary gooseneck, but requiring no change in the vent pipe other than the removal of the gooseneck.

A still further object is the provision of a vent fitting which will vent fumes and vapors upwardly and which will absolutely prevent water from getting into a vent pipe even in a driving rain.

These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing an underground tank vented via a conduit having a fitting on the upper end thereof according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the vent fitting.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the fitting, and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view indicated by lines 4-4 on Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, an underground tank to be vented is indicated at in Figure 1. The tank is provided with a fill pipe 12 and with a vent pipe 14 upstanding to a substantial distance above the ground. The upper end of the vent pipe 14 is provided with a vent fitting 16 according to the present invention which is illustrated in more detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

elce V The vent fitting comprises a main body portion 18 which has a recess in its lower end for receiving the upper end of the vent pipe 14. Body 18 may be threaded to the upper end of pipe 14 or may be fixed thereto as by the set screw 20. v

The inside of the body 10 is provided with a cavity 22 that communicates'via a central bore 24 with pipe 14. A ledge 26 upstands about opening 24 and is availed of for receiving the lower end of a cylindrical screen '28. f

' As will be noted in Figure 4, the channel or groove surrounding upstanding portion 26 is inclined downwardly toward one side of the body 18 where it terminates atfits lower points at adrain hole 30. p i y The upper end of, the screen 28 fits about a boss 32 formed about the periphery of the inserted coneshaped cover member 34. Cover member 34 extends outwardly beyond the outer periphery of the body 18 of the fitting so that under all normal operation conditions of rain fall, snow and the like will not enter cavity 22 of the body but will instead fall past the body or, if it enters the body or runs down inside the body on the outside of the cover member 34, it will be entrained on the screen and flow down the screen to the annular channel at the bottom thereof which terminates in drain hole 30.

The cover 34 is provided with spaced ledges 36 that engage bosses on upstanding portions 38 about the upper edge of body part 18. At another point about body part 18 there is an upstanding part 40 extending through the aperture formed in cover 34 so that when screw 42 is threaded through the said upstanding portion and engages the boss part 44 on the inside of the cover, the said cover is firmly located in place.

The cover part is provided with a drain opening at 46 so that any moisture that collects on the inside thereof will readily spill out and over the edge of body part 18 and will not run down inside of the said body part.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the vent fitting provided according to this invention is ideally suited for use in connection with the vent pipe of underground gasoline tanks and the like. Moisture is substantially prevented from entering the vent conduit and the fumes and vapors leaving the vent conduit are dispersed and distributed by the conical undersurface of the cover member for the fitting whereby these vapors do not tend to How downwardly and collect in a body adjacent the ground. The explosion hazard is thus greatly decreased over that which existed with the usual type gooseneck fitting. The fitting according to this invention is inexpensive to manufacture and install and can readily be dismantled for cleaning and repair.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my invention such changes and modifications and adaptions of the invention to meet particular circumstances such as might be considered to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a vent fitting for a vertical vent pipe; a generally cylindrical body part with a bore therethrough adapted to receive the upper end of a vent pipe in its lower end so gases from the pipe will pass upwardly through the body, an inverted cone shaped cover member at the top of the body extending outward-1y beyond the body, axial projections on one of said cover and body engaging the other thereof to hold the cover fixedly spaced from the body to define an upwardly outwardly opening vent, means detachably securing said cover in place, and a vented upwardly opening channel formed about the inside of said body part to catch moisture that flows down the inner wall thereof, there being a cylindrical screen member having its lower end resting in said channel and its upper end engaging the lower side of said cover.

2. In a vent fitting for a vertical vent pipe; a generally cylindrical body part with a bore therethrough adapted to receive the upper end of a vent pipe in its lower end so glds'sfrdin th pipewill pass upwardly through the body, an inverted cone shaped cover member at the top of he b y a i p je t ns on one Qtsa d co er a body eng n t o he h re o ld th cor fixedly spaced from the body to define an upwardly H y opening vent, means detachably securing said cov, place, and a vented upwardly opening channel formed about the inside of said body part toca tch moisture that flows down the inner wall thereof, there being a cylindrical screen member having its lower end resting in said channel and its upper end engaging t he lowelf side'of said cover, said cover" extending outwardlybeyond said body and in a ra n l p t fdisch r e wa er at co lec s therein;

3. In a vent fitting for a vertical vent pipe; a generally cylindrical body part with a'bor'e therethrqngh'adapted o receive the pp e d a e t pipe in ts lo e end so ga s f m the p pe wil pa p r y thr u h. he body, an inverted cone shaped cover member at thetop of the body, projections upstanding from said body, ledges on the bottom of said cover to engage said projections, an aperture in the cover onthe side opposite said ledges, a finger on the body extending through the aperture, a screw through the finger holding the cover in place, an upwardly opening inclined channel inside said body adjacent the bottom vented to the outside of said body at its lowest point, and a cylindrical screen member having its lower end embracing the inside wall of said channel and its upper end engaging the bottom of said cover to be clamped in place thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,816 Davies Mar. 16, 1886 1,306,421 Feltz June 10, 1919 1,425,028 Lyon Aug. 8, 1922 1,813,964 Schubert July 14, 1931 1,921,943 Rice et a1 Aug. 8, 1933 2,525,213 Doolin Oct. 10, 1950 2,544,153 Hall L Mar. 6;, 1951 

